Central Hudson Gas and Electric crews have made significant progress in restoring electrical service to homes and businesses impacted by Thursday’s severe weather. Nearly 16,000 homes and businesses were impacted by the severe weather that began around 1 p.m. on Thursday, most in northern Dutchess and Orange counties. As of 4 p.m. on Friday, approximately 400 customers were without electricity.

Central Hudson has already restored power to 95 percent of impacted customers in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Ulster counties. All but a few customers in the hardest hit areas will have power restored by 11 p.m. on Friday night; any remaining outages will be repaired by late Saturday morning. Crews have also addressed the vast majority of outages caused by a non-storm related event in the Woodstock area. Central Hudson will continue to distribute dry ice to customers in need at the Montgomery Senior Center (36 Bridge St.) until 6:00 p.m.

“We thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we work to repair and restore electric service,” said Ryan Hawthorne, Assistant Vice President of Electric Engineering and Operations. “We fully understand the necessity of electric service and the importance of safe and efficient power restorations on behalf our customers. We also thank the emergency responders and our municipal, county and state leaders for their continued support, and for working with us hand-in-hand in clearing roads, repairing storm damage and serving the residents of our communities.”

As repairs are completed, customers are reminded to stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines and that lines can be den within fallen trees and limbs. It is important to also treat all downed lines like they are live.

Hawthorne also urged customers keep safety in mind:

• Never use outdoor gas or charcoal grills indoors, as they pose a fire hazard and over time can give off carbon monoxide gas;
• Beware of fallen trees and limbs, and use caution or traveling;
• Avoid the use of candles for illumination due to fire hazards;
• Follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions on the use of emergency generators, and be sure to shut off the main breaker when in use and operate the units outdoors;
• Operate cars and motor vehicles outdoors only, and never inside the garage; and
• Avoid travel along roadways as hazardous conditions may cause driving accidents, including those involving utility poles which may cause power interruptions.

In addition, customers can stay informed of storm and restoration conditions in the following ways:

• By text messaging: Customers should enroll in Central Hudson’s Texting Program to use text messaging to report their power condition and to obtain repair status. To enroll, visit CentralHudson.com/Alerts or text REG to 236483;
• On the Web: Visit CentralHudson.com/Storms to report outages and obtain restoration updates;
• Via smart phones: A mobile version of the Central Hudson’s website can be accessed by web-enabled cell phones and mobile devices at https://mobile.CenHud.com. Free Central Hudson mobile applications for Android and Apple and are also available by logging onto CentralHudson.com/mobileapp;
• Through social media: “Like” Central Hudson on Facebook (Facebook.com/ CentralHudson) and “Follow” on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/CentralHudson); and
• By phone: Call the Central Hudson PowerLine at (845) 452-2700 or 1-800-527-2714, and please use the automated system to report or monitor your power condition.

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